The Patch to Fix Your Tatters
by blameitallonYKW
Summary: Tatters is a Wazzat. Patches is a Dummkap. They are siblings, raised under the same roof. Although their personalities conflict, and they often squabble, their bond is stronger than any stitches.
1. Beginnings

It happened 7 years ago. The day I was created. I was created for one purpose and one purpose alone: to be a birthday gift for our master's granddaughter. Her name is Karrie. Around that time, I think she was…maybe six? Yes, I think that's it. Master loved her so much…he poured his heart and soul into every stitch he made in me. Even when I was barely scraps and ribbons, I knew I was going to be something special. I felt so excited when I was finished. As he tied a red bow around me, he called out Karrie's name. She was playing in the corner with some sticks she found, but dropped them as soon as she heard Master.

I very clearly remember being torn out of Master's hands (not literally, thank goodness) and into her's.

"Thank you so much! I love it!" she cried. She looked like the happiest person in the whole wide world. But her expression shifted to one of confusion quite quickly. She pointed to a place on my green, stuffing filled body that I couldn't see. "What's this patch here for?" she asked as she turned me towards Master. Master just laughed nervously.

"I uh, may have ran out of fabric…I'm sorry if it's not—" Master didn't even get to finish his sentence before Karrie interrupted.

"It's okay." She snuggled me tightly before putting me on her head for the first time. "I love him just the way he is~!" Her head was very comfortable. Her hair felt soft against my insides, and it would bounce constantly under my brim as she walked.

"I think it might like you, too!" Master noted. He was right. On the outside, I never moved, but on the inside, I felt like I wanted to squeal with joy. She's only had me for a few seconds, and she already loved me. To her, I was perfect. And to me, she was perfect.

For the next few weeks we went everywhere together. It was basic kiddy things, playing outside, going to the park with her and Master, and enjoying the occasional snack (or at least they did. I couldn't eat). Every night before she went to sleep, she'd never forget to bring me along to comfort her. It was so nice…but we weren't alone for long.

While Karrie and I had some quality time, Master was working on something special. Neither of us knew what it was, or whether or not it was another birthday present, but we didn't care.

That changed when Master suddenly called out her name. Quickly, she scooped me up, placed me on her head, and rushed over to Master. When we arrived, Master was in his sewing chair, as usual, but he was holding something that I couldn't quite see. Karrie started bouncing with excitement when she noticed what Master was holding. It was the project that he was working on for all those weeks. "What is it? What is it?!" She was this close to bounding off the walls with excitement. I was a little excited too, but in the back of my mind, there was a thought that scared me:

What if the new thing Karrie is getting…replaces me? It had only been a little while, but it was a possibility. I started to panic. Karrie could've gotten tired of me, or she could've told Master to make something else behind my back and then leave me, or—

"Aaaah! A blanket! Thank you so much~!" Karrie squealed, crashing my train of thought. I focused my attention to what was going on down below. Karrie was holding the blanket that Master made, and she was holding him just as lovingly as she did to me. The blanket was adorned with a baby blue bow that held its folded self together. I could tell from quiet muttering noises I heard that it was asleep, but also happy with the love and affection. She lifted a corner, showing a green underside to the blanket.

"I made that part using the scraps from your hat there," Master pointed out. "Looks nice, don't it?" I have to admit, it did look nice on the lil guy.

"Oh, yes, yes, YES! Thank you so much!" Karrie ran around and snuggled the new blanket tightly. She then dashed over to her play corner and began to pretend the blanket was a monster attacking the poor dolls strewn across the floor. She didn't even seem to remember me until I accidentally fell from her head. "Oops!" She cried. "You wanna play too, huh?" She then went on to pretend that I was helping the blanket monster terrorize the poor civilians of Dalespring (That was the fake town's name. Very creative, I know.). She continued to play with us until dinner came around.

Normally I'd sit on the table next to her plate, or, if she was feeling playful, give me my own seat to sit on. Not today. That blanket took my place while I sat on her head still. I was getting worried. Was I correct about the blanket replacing me? Was she really getting bored of me? Who was I gonna blame for this, the blanket or her?

No. It's not her. It COULD NOT have been her fault. She's a nice girl. Heck, I was sure she still thought about me sometimes. But I was sure that it was that blanket's—no, that THING'S plan to get me out of the picture. He could be brainwashing her with his plushiness for all I knew.

 _No, stop it! you're acting crazy,_ I thought. _It's just a phase. She's just…excited._ I kept telling myself that whenever the idea of that thing kicking me out made me angry. I eventually believed it. Until Karrie finished up and decided to go to bed early.

Not unlike previous bedtimes, she kept me close by her side to watch over her. But the blanket…she kept him even CLOSER. I was still in her arms, yes, but I was behind the newbie. Farther away from my owner. My idea was affirmed now. He WAS trying to make Karrie love him more and it was WORKING. I didn't sleep a wink that time. Instead, I planned. Planned to get that thing out of here.

I decided to start at breakfast. I knew that dirty things always get cleaned, but if they're REALLY filthy, they get thrown out. What's the stuff that always does clothes in? Food.

I just had to get him all covered in food, he'd be gone, then Karrie'd be mine again. That morning, I initially saw no opportunities to carry this out…until Karrie took a bathroom break. She placed me on the table, excused herself, and dashed off, abandoning her syrupy, mostly eaten pancakes. I was right next to him now. Perfect. Now, I needed to get him messy. I decided the best way was to get him on the floor, then dump the food on him. I checked him to make sure he didn't know I was there. All I heard was the occasional mumble of a sleeping, vulnerable blanket. The coast was clear.

At least, it would have been if I hadn't hit a roadblock. I was so busy planning that I hadn't taken into account the fact that I couldn't move. So none of this would even be possible. I felt a combination of rage and embarrassment wash over me. Because of my idiocy, that thing is gonna keep Karrie, and I'm a goner. The thought of it just made me angrier. I could feel myself heating up. I felt like I had reached a boiling point when…I fell over. Right into the blanket, knocking him off the table. He landed with a soft "pomf" on the ground, and didn't stir a bit. No one heard a thing. Not even Master, who was only a room away reading a newspaper and eating pancakes, too.

 _Did I… move?_ I asked myself. I had. I HAD moved! On my own! I tried getting up, and I managed to fling myself upright again. Anger really does makes you stronger, I guess. And now, I could execute the other half of the plan perfectly. With an internal smile, I scooched over to the plate and pushed. As the plate scraped the table, it made quite a bit of noise. So I pushed pushed the plate in bursts. Push, wait, push, wait, push, wait. Eventually I reached the edge. The plate of pancakes was tottering on the table's end, syrup dripping and cakes slipping, right above the blanket. Mustering up my newfound strength, I gave the plate a good hard shove.

As the plate hit the ground, the blanket awoke with a yelp as it was covered in syrup, pancake pieces, and plate fragments. The loud crash that accompanied the food's fall alerted Master and Karrie (the latter just came out of the bathroom) to the mishap, and Master started to clean it up. I observed it all proudly. I just had to keep up the win streak and he's gone. As I looked around, I noticed Karrie had picked up the blanket and was hurrying him to the sink. To my shock, she started to scrub the blanket vigorously, trying to clean it.

 _What are you doing?!_ I internally yelled at her. _Don't bother to clean him! He's finished!_ She didn't listen. The blanket became squeaky clean, and I became furious. Was she really that far gone already? My hatred only grew stronger, and I knew I could do nothing but push forward if I wanted her back.

I then felt myself being picked up and placed on Karrie's head as she told us we were going somewhere with Master. I didn't hear nor care where we were going. My focus was entirely on that blanket. That. Stupid. Owner-hoarding. Blanket. Many, many thoughts were running through my mind at the time, most of them filled with awful intentions. I heard the little blanket giggle with excitement, and I tensed up. That thing sounded so unbelievably pure. So sickeningly innocent. I wanted to vomit. It wasn't until I heard the train arrive when I knew immediately where we were going.

Karrie and Master only took this route when they went to Cafe Shanista. It's a place full of tasty cakes and sweets that would make anyone instantly hungry. Master always took Karrie there for special lunches if she'd been a good girl (which she always was). Once we boarded the train, she took a seat and placed the two of us on her lap. I've always liked train rides, but this was was insufferable. I was right next to—no, TOUCHING the bane of my existence.

 _I hate this. I hate this. I repeated to myself. I hate this. I HATE this. I HATE THIS. I HATE THI—_

 _Whyyyy~?_ An innocent voice asked. I looked over to where it came from, and it piped up again. Why do you hate this? I like the train. It was the blanket. Talking to me. Great. I tried to avoid the conversation by staying silent, but it kept pressing. _Why? Why? Why? Whyyy? Whyyyyy? Whyyyyyyyyyyy-yuh?_ I wanted to scream. So. Very. Badly. But, I somehow managed to stay collected long enough to give a non-ear piercing response.

 _I don't like being in tight spaces._

 _Oh. That makes sense. Brief pause. So you're Karrie's hat, huh?_ he asked.

 _Are you orange? Of_ _course_ _I am!_ I retorted.

 _Then…can I ask you something?_

 _*sigh*…What?_

 _What do you think of Karrie? Our owner?_ I didn't even have to think to say,

 _She's the most wonderful, caring person I know! If I could tell her how much I love her, I definitely would._ I wanted to say so much more, but I held myself back. The blanket squealed in delight.

 _I feel the same way! It's only been a few days and I feel…so LOVED! Y'know, her hugs are the beeeee-est! Especially before bed!_

 _Her head is very warm, too~! I could just sit there all day!_ My mind wandered off, thinking about all the positives of this girl. MY girl. It took me a second to remember who exactly I was talking to, and I started to snap out of my blissful state and fill with rage. Trying to stay calm, I decided to talk more. Maybe I could get something out of him. Maybe get him to admit what he's doing and force him to leave…? _I can tell you love her a lot, don't you?_

 _Mhm~!_ The blanket was in a state of bliss. _She's my everything~!_

 _Soooo…if someone else were to love her too, and this someone loved her more than you, would you, say, leave them alone?_

 _But why? I can't just leave her!_ The blanket sounded adamant. _She needs me to keep her warm!_

 _But what if this person could also keep her warm? Maybe even better than you? What then?_

 _Th-then…_ the blanket seemed at a loss for a second but quickly recovered with a response. _I don't know what I'd do exactly… but if that did happen, I know she wouldn't replace me! She loves me enough the way I am!_ There was a brief pause before he continued. _Say, why are you askin' all of this?_

 _Uuuuh, no reason. Just curious._ I lied. He didn't seem like he was planning on doing anything malicious. No plan to replace me, no abandonment, nothing. Or, at least, he wasn't saying it out loud. Yeah, that's it. He's bluffing. He's gotta be. Just gotta push a little harder.

"Arriving shortly at Springdale Central Station." The conductor said suddenly, making me jump. We were here already? That felt surprisingly short. Nevertheless, Karrie excitedly scooped us up and rushed us out into the cafe's direction, the desperate footsteps of Master clamoring behind us. In what felt like a flash, we were there. If I was every asked the question, "What's the definition of fancy?" my response would definitely be Cafe Shanista. Sure, it's small. But gosh, does it look pretty. Coffee cans pretty much line the back wall, along with some pretty mugs in one corner. Windows are everywhere, so the place basically has natural wallpaper. Everything looks so professional, like you know someone put their heart and soul into this place.

The selection of sweets is a mix. Yeah, it's got cookies, lemon squares, the basic stuff. But then there are the pancakes and the parfaits. Like I've said, I couldn't eat, but looking at that was the closest I'd ever get to being hungry at the time.

 _Razzle dazzle…!_ He stared at the lovely location with a childlike wonder and shivered with excitement. Seemed like he was capable of movement too, but only slightly.

 _Enjoy it,_ I thought, _cause this is the first and last time you'll see this place._ Despite the friendly exchange, I hadn't forgotten my plan. Friendly or not, try to replace me and you're going DOWN. Karrie placed us on one of the two tables and left to continue to look at the sweets while Master watched over us. Cute, sure, but this was going to impede my plan to ditch him. If he saw anything, my cover'd be blown. I had to wait for a distraction.

"Hey, Grandpa! Come look at this!" Karrie called out, coming in with the save.

"Coming, sweetheart!" He cried to her before leaving us behind. Now it was just him and me. Another perfect opportunity. This place was so far away from home, if Karrie were to come back for him, it'd be too late.

 _Aaaaah~!_ the blanket sighed, having turned himself around to face the glass case of baked goods. _That looks good…_ Taking the opportunity, I scooched closer to him, gently nudging closer and closer to where he was until we touched. Unfortunately, he noticed and twitched in surprise. _A-are you…?_ He seemed shocked and a little excited. _…trying to cuddle me?_

 _Uh—no—I—wait—no—_ Before I could even form a response, he whirled around and launched his flat body straight into mine, knocking me over.

 _Ahuhu~! No need to be shy~!_

 _No—stop—there's been a mistake, stop—_ The blanket couldn't hear my cries underneath his soft, squishy body. Or he was ignoring me. But either way, I was stuck between a blanket and a hard place.

I was pinned down for what felt like hours until Karrie came back with her dessert of choice, a cheesecake slice, and noticed our situation.

"Hm? You guys are together?" She sat the two of us upright, but still close. "I should ask Grandpa what that means. It might have something to do with the tsu-ku-mo-ga-mi stories he tells me!" Tsukuma-what now? I had never heard that word in my life, and I was sure the blanket hadn't heard of it either. She sat down on the chair we were closest to and began to eat the cake quietly. The blanket, still against me, started nuzzling.

 _I love you already,_ he sighed, _You're nice, you like cuddles…that's more than I could ever ask for!_ What was this guy trying to do? Charm me? After what he's done so far, I'd LOVE to see him try. Suddenly, Karrie scooped me up and placed me on her head. As I was carried away, I heard a disappointed "Awww…" from the blanket. I sighed in relief. Finally some space. Master soon came over and sat down, with a strawberry shortcake as his choice.

"Grandpa," Karrie started to ask, "I found the hat and blanket a little closer when I came back. They looked like they were cuddling." I felt her head tilt underneath me. "Does that have anything to do with Yo-kai?"

"Indeed it does," Master started, munching on his cake. "Remember when I told you that all objects have souls?" Karrie nodded. "Well, a soul starts out very weak, and can only feel emotions. Over time, it be comes stronger, becoming capable of slight movement. Whenever you see something knocked over or on the ground, and you swear you didn't leave it like that, that's the reason." He took a small bite of cake before continuing. "The key to development is emotion. If an object feels strong emotions, regardless of the kind, its soul will grow. It seems that your little friends have grown quite a bit since you first got 'em." Another bite of cake. "As for the cuddling, they might be seeing each other as friends, or heck even brothers." Brothers. The word echoed in my mind. No. No, no, no, no, no, NO. There was no way that I would EVER consider that thing a "brother". In my eyes, that thing was not related to me and I'd be very, very happy if he agreed.

"Awww…that's so cute…" she cooed.

 _Shoot me._ I thought. Karrie suddenly jumped with a shocked "oh!"

"I should give them names, shouldn't I?" She looked to the blanket first. "Hmmm…Patches for the li'l brother…" She then pointed to me. "…And Tatters for the big brother!" Hmph…of course the blanket gets named first…Not even a few seconds after I was named did an ear-piercing squeal ring through my body. Guess who.

 _Thank you, Karrie! I love it so much~!_ The blanket, who was now Patches, was practically seeping excitement. Quickly, he looked up to me. _Big brother, this is the bestest day of my life~! I did a double take._

 _…What?_

 _I said that this is the be—_

 _No, the first bit._

 _Ohhhh, "big brother"? That's you~! I don't know what it means, but I think it sounds nice~! You don't mind, do you, big brother?_

 _Uuuuuuh—_

 _Good! Thanks, big brother!_ He said, tossing me into the role like a can into the trash.

"Grandpa, you done yet?" Karrie asked, having finished her cake already.

"Already?" he asked, shocked since he was only 3 bites in. "You must've been hungry, huh?" Karrie nodded. "…Alrighty, guess I can take this to go. Let's get back to the train."

"Okay, Grandpa." Karrie agreed.

As we took our seats in the train again, the blanket and I were once again seated next to each other. I could feel Patches jittering as he excitedly spoke.

 _Big brother! Big brother, that was amazing! When can we do it again, huh? Huh?_

Silence.

 _Big brother…?_ he stopped jittering, and sunk down a little bit in disappointment. _You okay…?_

I didn't respond. I didn't want to hear any more of his nonsense. I could only feel boiling hot emotions coursing through me. None of my plans were working. And now, to Karrie and probably Master, we were family. I wasn't going to let this go on much longer. I knew what this meant. Last resort time.

If I couldn't get him dirty, and I couldn't ditch him, then the only option left…? Garbage dump. Where the truck'll chew him up and spit him out into nothing but a pile of stuffing and felt. I wasn't going to let this thing become FAMILY. This, yes, THIS was the thing that would end him once and for all.

We were home now. Karrie had taken us to bed and both her and Patches were sleeping. Once again, I was farther away. Carefully, I wiggled myself free of her grasp. Now close to Patches, I wiggled him free of Karrie, too.

 _Mmmmm…_ he wriggled in his sleep as he felt himself move. And yet he didn't wake. Propping him up, I pushed him across the room, and towards the back door. Since it's a sliding door with no lock, it was always slightly ajar. In went Patches, and I followed. The pile of rubbish was there. Gently, I managed to squeeze him in between two bags. Master always grabbed them in bunches, and I presumed the pressure of the two trash bags would keep him stuck. With Patches gone, I triumphantly went back to my rightful spot in Karrie's arms. She was all mine now.

Morning came and, as I suspected, Karrie started to panic. She searched everywhere for the blanket in every shelf, nook, cranny, and crevice she could find. She even checked where the trash pile once was, but it was gone. It broke my heart a little bit, seeing her like that, but I figured it would subside eventually. At least it was over. She sat at the table for breakfast, solemn and in tears.

"H-he's gone…*snf* He's gone…" Karrie's head was in her hands, and she refused to eat any of her toast.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Master comforted her. "I…I could make you a ne—"

"N-no! Don't replace him!" Karrie stood up in protest. "N-nothing ever could…" She looked up to me, and took me off of her head. "At least y-you're still here." She held me close. "I won't let anything happen to you…" I felt my heart lift upwards so much, I thought I was gonna take off and fly away. Her affection was mine once again. And yet…I felt uneasy. There was a pit of something forming in the back of my mind. But I shook it off. I spent the rest of the day as normal, and went to bed with no issues. Until I had a dream.

It was dark. I couldn't see a single soul anywhere. All I could hear were the sounds of someone crying. For some reason, I followed the sound until something came into view. It looked like an orange blob an first, until the shape became more defined and I quickly recognized the shape. It was Patches. I stopped in my tracks and gasped. The blanket stopped crying for a second, and asked in that familiar, childish voice,

 _Big brother…? Are you there?_

 _Y…yes. I'm h-here…_ For some reason, I sounded scared. No matter how hard I tried to calm down, I just couldn't.

 _…I thought you loved me…I just wanted to be there for you… the voice started to quiver. Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me?_ Patches's voice echoed throughout the area, until the echoes became different voices entirely. Screaming out, _WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?!_ The voices only seemed to multiply, growing and growing and growing in volume until…

I woke up. I was shaking so much. I looked around. It was night still, and I was still in Karrie's arms. What happened? I hated Patches with everything in my soul…why did my subconscious make me feel that way? Do I really feel guilty for this…? No, no. This'll subside. It has to. This is just morals getting in the way of everything, as they always do. But still…I swore I could still hear his cries as I sat there. Looking outside, I could see through the sliver of an opening on the door that it was rainy, and the ground was covered in mud. The cries were coming from outside.

 _Look, a voice in my head spoke up. You can't deny it any longer. You were awful to him, and he deserved nothing that you did to him. If he really is out there, then go apologize, and bring him inside._ Despite what the voice said, I laid back down and tried to go back to sleep.

 _Waaaaaah!_ The cries from outside persisted. _Big brother, big brother! Please! Someone, ANYONE! BIG BROOOOOTHER!_ My stone cold heart built to withstand Patches's nonsense started to crack. My guilt was growing stronger. It hurt. It hurt so much. Finally giving in, I launched myself towards the door and slid it open with strength I never knew I had. Sure enough, in the muddy grass, close to the patio, Patches sat there crying.

 _It's okay! Big brother's here now!_ I blurted without thinking. Patches was alerted to my presence and practically lit up with joy.

 _B-big Brother…_ He was gasping and sobbing like no tomorrow. _You—Y-you really came…_

 _Are you stuck? C-can you move?_ I asked. Patches tried wiggling around, but he was glued to the ground by the mud.

 _Yes, big brother! I'm stuck!_ He cried out. I didn't know what to do. If I went out there, then I'D get stuck, and we'd be trapped. Thinking quickly, I hurried inside and shoved a broom in between me and my ribbon. Rushing back outside, I laid down so the broom reached maximum length. I eased the broomstick into Patches's ribbon, then flicked upwards in an attempt to move him. But the bow untied itself and blew back into the house. Trying again, I laid back down and stuck the stick into Patches's folds instead.

 _Hold on, and don't let go!_ I cried. He obliged, and I could see his body tense up around the stick. Again I flicked upwards, and Patches broke free of the earth, ending up on the top of the stick dirty and grimy. Patches's body relaxed, and he fell down next to me.

 _B-big brother-r-r…!_ He was freezing cold and sounded like he was gonna cry. _You-you saved m-me…!_ He was so elated that he forgot he was dirty and snuggled up against me. I snuggled back…then froze. I snapped out of my soft-hearted state and realized what I had done. He was back, and it was my fault. I groaned frustratedly and flopped over. _Big brother…?_

 _*siiiiiigh* You win…_ I threw in the towel at last.

 _Huh? What are you talking about?_ He asked innocently as he started to warm up.

 _STOP PLAYING DUMB! STOP TAUNTING ME! SHE'S YOURS NOW, GO AWAY!_ My voice became wavery. _L-let me wallow in my losses…_

 _L-Losses? What?_ Patches continued the innocence. _Big Brother, please tell me what's wrong._

 _What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?! I'll TELL YOU what's wrong!_ My voice rose beyond any volume I thought I was capable of. _Ever since YOU came along, Karrie's been loving YOU and ONLY YOU. She stopped loving me because of YOU. I'M the reason why you fell off the table, I'M the reason why you got pancake on you,_ _I'M THE REASON YOU WERE IN THE MUD. And yet…_ I took a deep breath. _You're still here, happy and cheerful and pure. I've lost. You won. She's all yours._ Patches stayed silent for a minute.

 _Oh…well…_ he said before another long pause. _That's okay!_

 _…What? What's with the forgiveness?_ I asked. _There's no need! Just go with Karrie and leave me alone!_

 _But you saved me! When I thought I was all alone and gonna stay stuck forever, you came for me! You may think of yourself as the bad guy but,_ he nuzzled me lovingly. _You'll always be my hero, Big Brother! I love you! I could feel myself warming up with embarrassment._

 _S-stop buttering me up!_ I protested. _Why are you even still with me? Go back to bed with her!_

 _But you'll be cold, big brother! Just sleep in the bed for one more night? Please?_ He pleaded.

 _…Alright,_ I said. _But only one night, and then you leave me alone, K?_

 _Yay~!_ He cheered, and the two of us snuggled back into our positions as if nothing happened. _Nighty-night, big brother!_

 _…Night, Patches._ He sighed deeply as he laid next to me, then conked out, snoring softly. I felt…bittersweet. On one hand, I lost my owner to a soft, squishy, puffball with zero backbone. But on the other, that puffball gave me just as (if not, more) unconditional love than Karrie ever could. I could see that now. Maybe he could bother me for just a while longer

. . .

"He's home! He's home!" Karrie snuggled Patches tightly with joy in her eyes, ignoring his earthy, dirty smell. I was behind him, seemingly unnoticed.

 _…Get used to this, Tatters…_ I told myself. _This is only the beginning…_

"Grandpa, Grandpa! He's home, he's really home!" she dashed over to Master's side, and he too started to laugh.

"Now I'll be…" he gave Patches a smile. I huffed.

"Hold on! Aren't we forgetting someone?" Karrie shifted our positions in her hands, and I was surprised. "Tatters stayed with me no matter what happened! That's good too, right?" My mood fizzled away, and I started feeling tingly.

"Of course! They both are gonna be great companions!" Master assured her. Patches shook a bit, and my "tinglyness" grew stronger. "Remember, you have to leave today, so don't forget anything now!" Patches gasped.

 _Leave?! Why?!_ Patches immediately looked at me. _B-big brother, where are we going?_

 _I-I…uh…_ I snapped out of my feeling and, taken aback, made something up. _W-well, we're going to our second home!_ I immediately regretted what I said, and Karrie put us down in the meantime.

 _Huh…?_ Patches asked.

 _Yeah!_ Knowing I couldn't back out now, I kept going. _You see, Master brings Karrie to two homes. One is his home, and when he gets tired, he brings her to another home where she's cared for! Then Master takes her back here when he feels good!_

 _Hmmm…I guess it makes sense…soooo when do we come back?_

 _I told you. when he's ready. And that changes a lot._

 _Ohh~! Now I get it! Thanks, big brother~!_

 _You're welcome!_ I said with faux confidence. Looking around, I noticed Karrie was packing stuff into a bag. _Oh! She's packing! Get ready to leave!_

 _Yaaay! New home, new home!_ He cheered.

I'd didn't take long before, once again, we were crammed into a train full of people, on our way to our "second home". The ride was long, so long that Karrie and Patches fell asleep. Master and I stayed awake. Patches was so close, I could feel the warmth he stored from Karrie's leg. He mumbled quiet, unintelligible words. I sighed. He was—dare I say it—cute that way.

I looked up, and watched the little screen that said where the next stop was. The red text scrolled by, spelling out a location that I didn't recognize. It made me think about how far we were we from our old home. I looked back to Patches, who despite the constant rumbling and bumping of the train was still sound asleep. I could never fall asleep to that racket, even if I wanted to.

"*BEEP* Arriving shortly at Springdale Central Station." The loud, sudden intercom startled Master and me and woke Karrie and Patches up with a jolt. Patches perked up a little, only to sink back down into Karrie's leg.

 _Ahhhhh...Good afternoon, big brother!_ He giggled, unphased by the sudden noise.

"We're home!" Karrie started to bounce, and the train came to a stop. I looked at the window. The station beyond the door looked like nothing I'd never seen. There were people everywhere, mostly adults, who were bustling about the place. It was extremely bright and very expensive looking. Patches and I were practically gawking at the size of it...it was much bigger than anything we were used to.

Before we knew it, we were hoisted up and Karrie pushed herself out of the train, but not before giving Master a hug and a kiss. She put us up to his face, and he kissed us too with her insistence. Master waved goodbye as the train closed its doors, and Karrie was left in the hands of a man and a woman we didn't recognize.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She hugged them lovingly, and they hugged her back.

"Good to see you, Sunshine." Said the man. He then noticed us, squashed in between him and Karrie. "I see Grandpa gave you your birthday presents." Karrie pulled away and held us up in one arm each.

"Mommy, Daddy, this is Tatters," She shook me a little bit in the air. "And this is Patches!" She then shook Patches. I was unsure of these people, so I didn't greet them.

 _Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy!_ Patches cheerfully greeted the strangers.

 _What are you doing?!_ I snapped at him.

 _I'm greeting Mommy and Da—_

 _How do we know we can trust them?_

 _If Karrie trusts them, we should trust them too, right?_ I was about to retort again, but then I realized he was right. Karrie wouldn't trust some strangers.

 _Maybe..._ I muttered. Karrie placed me on her head and took "Mommy's" hand. We were led to a house that looked a bright blue in the moonlight. Karrie walked us inside, and up some stairs into a pinkish room.

"This is your new home, you two!" Karrie walked us over to a door and opened it up to reveal multiple articles of clothing. She pushed aside the junk, leaving a space large enough for the two of us to sit. She placed us gingerly into the spot, but not before giving us each a short peck beforehand. "Have a good sleep!" She said before closing the door and turning off the lights. It was very warm, and surprisingly comfortable in that place. We'd later learn that it's called a "closet". Patches snuggled up to me, giggling.

 _Big brother?_

 _Yes, Patches?_

 _I'm excited, and you wanna know why...?_

 _...Why?_

 _'Cause now, we get to spend the rest of our lives here! With Karrie...With Mommy and Daddy...and with each other! We're gonna have so much fun, Big Brother!_ If I had a mouth, I would have smiled.

 _Of course we will, Patches,_ I said as I started to drift off. _Of course we will._


	2. Signs of Life

Years went by, and Karrie got older. She went from Kindergarten, to First Grade, to Second, Third...We were there to witness it. But of course, if we were there all the way through, then I wouldn't be here. There came a day where Karrie grew out of us. Karrie, up until this point, had always warned us of this day.

"Remember," she'd say. "When I stop wearing you, or talking to you, or playing with you, it doesn't mean I don't love you. It just means I got too big. Okay?"

Even though we knew, it still hurt.

It started with the two of us waking up, and noticing it was broad daylight through the crack in our closet. Naturally, Patches was excited for a brand new day. He giggled and talked about how we might go outside, or ride a bike, or maybe just chill indoors. But when Karrie opened the closet, she only stared at us for a little and then closed the door. At first, we were confused. Why didn't she grab us? Of course, Patches was on the bright side and said that maybe she was tired and didn't feel like playing today. But me? I was paranoid. I kept repeating over and over that she was gonna completely lose interest, and we'd both be dumped.

 _Awwww...don't be sad, big brother,_ he cooed, trying to comfort me as I had started to cry. I'll always be here to give you cuddles! You'll never be forgotten! There's always tomorrow! I have to admit, his peppy, high pitched voice was...oddly calming. It made me feel a little better.

But soon, the darkness settled in, and Karrie hadn't pulled us out. The next day, we were checked on, but not played with. The same thing happened the next day, and then the next day, and then the next week, and then the next month, and then the next year...and eventually, Karrie stopped checking on us. And Patches, slowly but surely, started to lose his sparkle. He still tried to reassure me, but I could tell we were both losing hope. One day, he changed it up a bit and asked me a question.

 _Do you remember what Karrie said we'd become after a while...?_

 _Umm. I think it was...tsu...tsuko...tsukorigarmi...?_

 _Yeah! Do you think...that'll happen soon?_

 _Maybe...I mean, it's been a_ p-retty _long time. I don't even know how long we've been in here for._

 _...You...don't hate Karrie...do you...?_

 _I'm angry. I'm sad. But...we both KNEW this would happen. Besides. It's not like...like... I stopped. Realizing I couldn't fathom the idea,_ nevertheless _say those words._

 _...Like what...? Patches gulped nervously. I could feel myself shaking._

 _I-It's not like...we were **replaced...**_ I started to shake more, and I could feel myself feeling the urge to cry. Patches gasped.

 _No! Don't think like that!_ Patches's voice was quivering, too. _She—she'd never_ replace _us! Don't worry about that!_ He leaned in closer to me as the waterworks got started again. _Wait! Sssh...big brother, listen..._ I stopped crying for a second and obeyed, hoping he'd comfort me. But instead he stayed silent. I was going to ask him why he wanted me to shut, when I heard it.

 _Thump...Thump...Thump..._

The noise was dull and muffled. It sounded like a heartbeat. Except, it was coming from Patches.

 _Do you feel it...?_ He asked. I nodded. It didn't take long before I, too, felt a dull thud within me.

 _I...I think we're growing...!_ I said, still feeling the thud.

 _Razzle Dazzle...!_ Patches cried in amazement before yawning. _It's getting late, big brother...nighty night..._ I felt his dull thud slow down, as he fell asleep. And as I fell asleep, the last thing that I heard was the dull thud of my soul, beating within me.

The next morning came, and as I expected, everything was the same. I looked around, noticing it was still dark, and waited for Patches to wake up. As I waited, I could've sworn Patches's sleeping noises were much louder than normal, and I could feel myself...breathing? I scooched towards him gently, also noting that, somehow, moving was much easier. Feeling a little frightened, I nudged Patches gently, trying not to startle him up.

"Patches. Patches, wake up." My voice had a minor lisp to it, giving the s's a slight "th" sound. As I nudged, I realized that he didn't feel like his normal shape. Normally, I'd only feel him against my brim. But I noticed he was...bigger somehow. Not too big, he was only around my height, but it was a size difference that made me start to freak. As I panicked I felt my body expand and contract as I took breaths, the sensation only causing me to panic more. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening, this IS NOT happening..."

"Big brother...?" I heard the familiar voice that had supplied me with so much comfort throughout these lonely, Karrie-less times and I looked back up, happy to at least hear something.

"Oh, thank goodness, you're awake. Listen up, there's some weird stuff going on and—" As I looked up, I completely cut myself off. Where Patches would be, two glowing eyes stood instead. Big, round, with maroon irises. I shouldn't even call them irises; they were just ovals. We both screamed, and without saying another word, burst out of the closet in panic and shock. We literally flew past the doors and smacked into the wall like birds on a window. We fell, and I was met with unusually strong pain. I got up and looked back to Patches, who'd become visible in the little light we had. He was, indeed, much bigger than normal, and his shape was more akin to mine. His blue ribbon was tied right above his brim, which looked a lot like lips. Inside his mouth were a few blocky, white teeth. The eyes that had scared me out of the closet were attached to his body through two stalks. His dark orange patch being next to his left eye. After a few seconds, he too got up.

"Aaah...big brother, what happened?" His eyes changed to x's as he spun haplessly in circles. "What's happening?"

"I...I don't know. This all just feels like a dream..."

"But...I don't think this is a dream..." Patches paused. "Is this what being a tsukorigami feels like?"

"How would I know?! But then again...my soul did feel like it was gonna burst out of me last night..."

"Yeah...mine too..." He looked down and noticed he was hovering above the floor. "Coooool! Look, Big Brother, I can fly~!" He proceeded to zip around the room at will, and even touched the ceiling. Me being extremely nervous (and having a fear of great heights after an...incident) I could only muster up the courage to hover just above the bed where I presumed an older Karrie was still sleeping. Looking over, I noticed Patches had stopped zipping about to take a look at himself in the mirror on our closet door. He was giggling at himself and occasionally sticking out a large, green tongue. Curious to see what I looked like, I hovered over to where Patches was and stared at my reflection. I looked very similar to Patches, and I had retained my colors and the patch to my right. My eyes were a dark green color, and were swirled. Patches's eyes were now the same shape. The teeth inside of my purple-lipped mouth were yellowed, and my tongue was a dark purple.

"We look silly~!" Patches giggled.

"Yeah, this look is...definitely gonna be hard to get used to." I smiled awkwardly at myself before looking out the window. "We should probably get back into the closet soon. It's way too early."

"You sound silly, too!" He added suddenly. I scowled.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You thound a little bit like thith." He lisped, exaggerating my newfound speech impediment.

"I DO NOT STHOUND LIKE THAT! " Patches started to snicker, and I could feel my face going red with anger and embarrassment. "SThtop laughing! It'sth not funny!" My lisp was getting worse by the second.

"Aw, come on~! You sound cute!" He teased.

"STHUT UP, AND LET'STH. GO BACK. TO STHLEEP." I snapped, grabbing him by the ribbon and practically yanking him into the closet with me.

"Where'd the stick up your butt come from?" I refused to give a response and huffed, shoving him to the other side of the closet in annoyance. "Big Brother, no..."

"Don't call me a child!" I gave him a glare before turning back around.

"You...don't like that...? I didn't know, Big Brother, I'm sorry."

"I'm supposed to be the older one here," I told him matter-of-factly. "Calling someone else—especially those higher up than you—a child, is rude. Do you understand?"

"Yes, big brother." He said, his voice going lower with feelings of guilt.

"You may come closer now." I instantly heard a squeak of joy before I was squished between the wall and Patches. Despite the position, we both ended up sleeping comfortably.

The next time I woke up, it was dark again. We must've slept throughout the whole day, I thought. I looked over next to me, and Patches was fast asleep, still squeezing me tightly. At first, I wondered why I had woken up. The room was silent, save for a little bit of noise from the indoor fan. At least, until there was another, more disruptive sound. It sounded like a sink drain after you brushed your teeth; a gurgling noise, that was loud enough to make me jump, accompanied with vibrations that I felt coming from Patches. I nudged him awake, and he yawned, loosening his grip on me.

"Big brother, do you need anything?"

"Yes. I need you to stop making those noises so I can sleep." he looked a little confused.

"What noises? Have I been snoring?"

"No. They're gurgling noises, and they're coming from you. You CAN stop them, right?"

"Ohhh! I'm sorry, big brother...I've tried...it's because of this feeling I started having lately. It's kinda empty...and I just don't feel right. I started having it after I started thinking about that cafe place and all of the tasty looking stuff in it..." Gurgle... the noise piped up again. "Ah! I'm sorry, Big Brother! I didn't mean to!"

"Wait...Patches, you're describing hunger."

"Hunger? But I thought—"

"We're alive now, remember? Of course, I'm an idiot—you're hungry."

"I am?" He gasped. "Does that mean we can go to that place now?" He bounced a little bit excitedly.

"As long as you know the directions and they're open, sure."

"Oh, I know them! Oh gosh, do I know them! We go out the house, straight forward away from the house, then we turn left and go until we get to the Rolling Waves Park, then it's right there!"

"...How did you...?"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go eat~!" He burst out of the closet and dashed out of the house.

"What the—Patches, WAIT!" I chased after him as he took the exact route Karrie always went when we weren't at Master's house. In the matter of a few minutes, Patches had managed to reach the entrance of the Cafe, whose lights were on, yet the doors were locked. "Darn. Don't worry, Patches, we've got stuff at ho—"

"Hold on, didn't Master say once that tsukorigamis can pass through walls~?" He paused, before attempting to slip through the door. He smacked right into it. "Guess I wasn't trying hard enough..." he tried again, multiple times in fact, to phase through the transparent doors.

"Patches, please. We can try this again in the morning when the doors aren't locked."

"No! I've got this I promise!" He took a deep breath, before hurling himself at the door and flying straight through it. He yelped before hitting the ground with a thump. He then turned and waved at me, as I stood there, shocked he actually manage to pull it off. "Don't worry, Big Brother! You don't have to do it!" He got up and unlocked the door from the inside, letting me in. It looked just as I'd remembered it, just as fancy as before. There were even some cake and sweets already in the case. Patches sighed. "The sweets already look good from here...do you want anything before me, Big Brother?" I shook myself no.

"I'm not hungry. Besides, it's your hunger that matters right now. I'll wait here."

"Awww~!" Patches went a little red. "You really are the sweetest~! And speaking of which..." he immediately dashed over to the back of the case, where he stared at the selection of stuff he could eat. Moments passed before he chomped down on one of the cakes. He gulped, and his eyes got that strange, sparkly look again. "Razzle dazzle...! It's...so good...!" He paused, then scarfed the rest of the slices down greedily. He looked up at me, frosting all over his...everything, before slurping it all up with his green tongue. He giggled, then looked back to the rest of the stuff that he'd left untouched. "You sure you don't want anything, Big Brother?" I shook my head again.

"I told you, I'm not hungry." I said, now that I'd witnessed the sloppy mess that my brother created. He said nothing, and only gave me a look of understanding before focusing back on his sweets, swallowing entire cupcakes whole. I looked away, disgusted. I couldn't just sit here and torture myself while I wait for him. I wanted to yell at him to stop being a sloppy child, but this was his first time eating, and I didn't want to ruin it for him. I sighed, then propped myself up against the window. I was gonna have to sit through this. After a while, I started to feel...empty. Not sad empty, empty like a box of air. I frowned. I was starting to get hungry, too. But Patches had everything to himself. And I had nothing. Thinking, I remembered that the place also served coffee on occasion. But coffee tasted bitter, and supposedly bitter was a bad flavor. I decided to wander for a little while, looking for something else to fill my empty stomach. There were a couple of jugs on a side counter, filled with something that seemed cold. I initially detested the idea of something cold in the middle of winter, but...

Rumble...

My stomach wasn't going to have it any other way. Hesitantly, I drank whatever substance was in that stupid metal jug, and...it was actually good. Kinda creamy and silky, and definitely filling. I sighed in relief, before deciding to maybe, just maybe have a few more gulps and then go.

Maybe a few more.

Okay, a few more wouldn't hurt.

Before I knew it, I realized I had sucked the whole thing dry. Letting the jug go, I noticed there were still two more jugs filled with what was probably the same liquid. I could feel myself drooling and losing self-control by the second. Can I...? Should I...?

Gulp. Too late, conscience. Already latched onto the second jug, and gulping up the liquid. And there we were. Two siblings gorging ourselves in a cafe in the middle of the night. Patches was clattering around the dessert cabinets, scarfing every single morsel there was and leaving nothing behind, and I was practically draining every single jug on the counter.

By the time we were done with the place, our stomachs were satisfied and full to bursting. I was left on my side, half asleep. However, I had to wake myself up, because I had to find Patches before the place opened. I got up and looked around, but Patches was nowhere to be seen.

"Patches? Where are you?" I called out. No response. I hovered around, looking for him amongst the sloppy trays and pie tins. And I thought I was the one who had over eaten...there was nothing left of the dessert cabinet. Everything was gone. He cleared out the whole darn cafe. "Patches? Patches, come on! We have to go home!" I called out again, much louder.

"*Slurp~!*Gulp!*" I looked over to the source of the sound and saw Patches, who was finishing up an unusually large parfait. He waved at me with an eyestalk, still licking ice cream off of his face. "Hi, Big Brother~! Where ya been?"

"Looking for you," I said. "Looks like you enjoyed your first meal, huh?" He leaned against the dessert cabinet and sighed.

"Mhm~! Every last bite of it! *burp*" He perked up in surprise before giggling. "'Scuse me~! No more cake for—*BU-URP~!*" I rolled my eyes.

"At the very least, you could close your mouth, you sloppy thing."

"I'm sorry, big brother—*burp*—I can't help it~! Ehe~!" I got up and hovered away frustratedly.

"If you don't stop that, I'm leaving without you." I threatened, half joking. He gasped, then started to whimper.

"B-but..." He looked up and wiggled his eyestalks desperately."I need you to carry me~! My tummy's too full to move...!" I groaned, unable to leave him in his poor, more-stuffed-than-a-turkey state, and begrudgingly hoisted him up by tying both of our bows together. I tried my hardest not to collapse under his weight, but he was heavy!

"How much cake did you eat?!" I exclaimed as I wobbled to and fro under his weight.

"Ummm...well, I had 3 cheesecakes, 20 cupcakes, 2 chocolate cakes, 3 deluxe parfaits—"

"Okay, stop. A: I did not need to know that. And B: How?"

"You'd be surprised at how much I can fit in here~!" He pat his belly with an eyestalk. "I'm surprised at how much I can fit in here~!" I finally managed to regain balance and muster up the strength to carry him out of the cafe. As we hovered back home, Patches asked,

"I haven't heard your stomach rumble yet. Are you still not hungry?" I looked away and blushed a bit.

"W-well, I actually got a little peckish, so I had some liquid from a jug."

"Oh! Was it good~?"

"Yeah, yeah it was...b-but I only had a little bit!" I lied, not wanting to sound like a glutton.

"Hmmm...speaking of liquids...it's a shame they didn't have any milk there..."

"Milk? Why?"

"Cause I heard milk tastes good with sweets..."

"Patches, milk is for babies." I scowled.

"What's with you and your hatred for "baby stuff" and being called names?"

"Because I'm the older brother. Older brothers don't eat baby stuff and aren't called baby names. Younger brothers do that." I told him. "It is the way it is, Patches."

"Ah...I see. So if I were the older brother..." he gasped. "Then I couldn't eat cake then! Cause cake is eaten by babies too, right?"

"Exactly." I said. Patches blew a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness for that~! And speaking of cake..." He audibly licked his lips. "Think we have more cake at home?" I glared at him.

"Really? You still want cake? Didn't you just say you were "too full to move"?"

"Ahuhu~! Well...a couple more slices wouldn't hurt, right?" I sighed.

"You never learn, do you?" Patches only giggled, wriggling happily as we approached home.

"G'mornin', big brother~!" Patches nudged me awake, forcing me to open my eyes.

"Mmmm...what do you want...?" I said groggily.

"It's breakfast time~!" He said excitedly.

"Breakfast...?"

"Yeah! We're goin' to the cafe to have breakfast~!" I squinted.

"Are you sure the place'll even have anything in stock? You cleared out the whole place last night. In fact..." I gave him a suspicious look. "How are you even hungry?"

"Ahuhu~! That doesn't matter! Come onnnnn, big brother~! Let's goooooo!" I groaned. There was no denying a little brother who now loved cake more than anything else in the world.

"Fine. We're going, we're going..." Patches joyously cheered, and the two of us zipped over to Cafe Shanista. Surprisingly, the place was completely restocked, as if the previous night never happened. Those bakers must work fast. There were a lot of people there, too. Patches and I pushed our way through the now unlocked door, and before Patches could dash away, I grabbed his bow. "Now hold on." He turned and gave me a confused look. "There are people here now, Patches, so no gorging today. Be more mindful and careful, please?" Patches gave me a nod and snuck away. Of course, we knew not to be too cautious; from the stories Master told us, we knew that most tsukuma-blahblahs were invisible. But still, we couldn't risk causing a ruckus. I kept an eye on Patches, who was sneaking one of those large parfaits away as quietly as he could. Knowing he was most likely okay, I decided to go get something for myself, maybe that liquid in those jugs. I hovered over a couple of heads and, I had no idea why but, I almost...wanted to bite down on those instead. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I stopped moving.

The heck are you thinking about? I thought. Biting on people's heads? Why? I answered my own question with one word:

Memories.

I blinked, surprised at my own answer. I shook the thought and continued on my way, but it always tried to creep back into my head. It got to the point where if looked down at the people's heads for too long, I'd start to drool. Why? What was happening to me? Was I sick? I sighed. It was probably an instinct, one I was trying to fight. It felt awful, but I gave in, biting on a young man's head and starting to chew. I felt myself swallowing...something. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was good, and I didn't let go until that taste faded away. Once I released, the man suddenly got up, and left the building, even abandoning his cake slice that he'd barely eaten. It was like he'd completely forgotten what he was doing. My mind started to race. Did I do that? I...I did! I did do that! I have an ability! I'm not sure what purpose it serves me, but it's an ability! And as a bonus, I felt just a little bit fuller. I picked up the cake slice and carried it over to Patches, who had just finished up the parfait.

"Oh! For me~? Thank you, Big Brother~!" He tilted himself in confusion. "But where'd you get it from?" Overcome with excitement, I decided to boast.

"Just a little byproduct of my new power!" I smiled proudly.

"Woah~! You can spawn cake out of thin air?" My smile faded a bit.

"...No. But how about I show you what I can do?" I asked.

"Oh! Yes, please!" Patches exclaimed before gulping up the cake slice in one bite. I smirked before dashing off, looking for a person with some more desserts that Patches could eat. I scanned the area, before finding a family of four, two of them having pancakes, and two having cake. Bingo.

"Yo! You watching this?" I called back to Patches and he nodded. Immediately, I chomped on the oldest man's head, ate whatever memories I found, then moved on to the next family member. I managed to make them forget what they were doing in less than two minutes, and the family all left their stuff on the table. "*Phew...* See? Piece of cake! Help yourself!" Patches got up and immediately scarfed the remainders of their meals.

"*Gulp* Coooool~!" His eyes were sparkling in amazement. "Do you think I could do that~?" I shrugged.

"Eh. Maybe. You want anything else?"

"Not yet~! I wanna see if I can do anything!" He rushed over to another person, a serious, sophisticated-looking woman, and mimicked what I did, biting down on her head. Her eyes went swirled like ours, and at first, nothing seemed to have happened. But then the girl started to dance. Not on the ground, but on top of the table she was sitting at. She was singing awfully too, drawing the whole cafe's attention. She only stopped when she got the brilliant idea to dump a cup of coffee on her face as a finisher, snapping her out of the trance and forcing Patches to let go. She was okay, but as soon as she realized what situation she was in, gosh, her face was redder than her dress. She tried to play it off as if nothing happened, and some other people tried too, but a majority of the guests just kept on staring at her. Patches hovered over to me, spitting out the remnants of the bitter coffee. I immediately comforted him and cleaned him up with a cloth.

"Patches, are you okay? What happened?" Patches laughed.

"That was fun~! I didn't get rid of anything, but that was fun~!"

"What did you do?"

"Well, I went on up to her, bit on her head like you did, and then she started to dance! She looks embarrassed but..." He looks back over to the woman, who was now smiling. "She had fun! I know it~!" Patches thought for a second, before lightbulbing. "I got it! My power is making people have fun~! Making people happy~!" He sighed. "Oh, this is all I could've ever wanted~! If I could do it on someone who's feeling bad...then I can make it better! I can make people feel better, Big Brother~!" He was spinning and twirling all over the place, gleefully giggling all the while. He then looked over to the empty plates he'd left behind. "Hmmm...I'm gonna go get some more cake for myself, Big Brother. You go eat up, too! We've got a whole new life ahead of us~!" And with that, he bounded away happily towards the dessert cabinets.

"Wait! Aren't you gonna have a little fun?" I called out.

"Hmmm~? With what?" He turned to me.

"With your new powers, you idiot! You aren't gonna test them out a little more?" I felt excited, overcome with a new sense of pride and power.

"Maybe after I eat a little. Making that lady dance was ti-er-ing!"

"Fine then. Suit yourself." I said before hovering off. I wasn't going out of the cafe, of course, just waiting to ambush some folks and see what I can do. I watched as a man in a suit entered through the doors, talking with someone on the phone. He looked absolutely fuming, and his yells were distracting everyone in the area. As quickly as I could, I lunged forward and bit down on the man's head, draining him of his angry memories, and making him forget why he was so mad at whoever was on the other end of the line. He paused for a second, only to continue to talk on the phone with the person, albeit much more calmly. I giggled, only for the taste to finally hit me like a rock.

It was hot. Really hot. I let go immediately, sent into a coughing fit by the sudden heat. I could practically feel my lungs collapsing as I continued to wheeze. As I gathered a little bit of composure I dashed over to the jugs on the counter to cool myself off. In a few gulps, I was mostly back to normal, the remnants of the hot flavor still tingling my tongue. Surprisingly, Patches didn't see nor hear a thing, as he was too focused on his breakfast. As I breathed away the rest of the spice, someone else in need of a memory wipe caught my attention. It was a young boy, who was being unmistakably bubbly and happy. That would've been fine if he wasn't pestering everyone else because of his jumping and incessant yelling.

Carefully, I eased up behind the kid, before biting down on his head. He completely shut his trap as I drained whatever silly or giddy memory he had. As soon as the memory's extremely sweet, delicious taste left my mouth, I gulped and released myself. He stayed silent, unable to remember what made him so giddy and annoying. In a few seconds though, the kid began to blabber about something else. I rolled my eyes and decided to move on. There were many people I had my eyes on now. Women, men, children, all having memories they'd be able to give up. As I leaped up and chomped on their heads one by one, multitudes of flavors came across my tongue. Bitter memories, sweet memories, spicy memories, and even ones that were bland were all removed. I topped it all off by even removing the memory of a whole weekend from a man's head. As I released, I huffed in triumph, hitting a high point I'd never hit before.

"Razzle dazzle~!" Patches cried out. I turned and noticed he was peeking out from behind the dessert cabinet. From his muffled speech, I could tell his face was most likely stuffed with cake. His eyes were sparkling with admiration. "That was so cool~!"

"It is really cool, isn't it?" I said with pride. "You're done with breakfast, aren't you?" Patches nodded and licked a bit of frosting from his face. "So how about we go play with our powers? Stretch 'em out more? Test our limits?" Patches's eyes sparkled.

"Oooh, yes please!" he exclaimed as he jumped up and geared up to leave.

"Come on, then! We have work to do!" Patches cheered, and we exited the building our new powers at hand.

As we hovered out of the building, Patches was spinning and twirling like no tomorrow.

"We're gonna make people happy~! We're gonna make people happy~!" He sang. "But...Where are we gonna make people happy?"

"Simple; Everywhere!" I exclaimed. "We just wander around and search. No place is perfect, sometimes you gotta jump around."

"Ohh." Patches's eyes then sparkled with excitement. "Can I pick the first place? Please, please, can I?"

"Sure," I said, "As long as it's not the bakery."

"S'not the bakery!" Patches cried. "I wanna go...to the school!" Of course! The school had plenty of people to see and plenty of minds to scramble...

"Patches, you genius! That's perfect!" I cried.

"Aw, shucks, me? Genius? Noooo..." Patches flushed a slight pink. I gave him a small pat between his eyestalks.

"You softie." I chuckled before turning north towards Uptown. "Onward!" I dashed off, and Patches followed suit. We were going so fast that the trip felt like seconds. We both arrived at the big gate at the same time, where the doors were shut tight. A class was going on. Thankfully, we were able to phase through the door and get into the school with little difficulty. The inside looked just as familiar as ever, with pastel colors making up a majority of the palette. Now, to test. The first classroom we saw was chosen to be our test run. It was a simple little kindergarten class, in the middle of a lesson.

"So what do we do?" Patches asked as we peeked into the classroom.

"Hmmm...Ah! See that guy? The tallest man?" I motioned to the teacher. "I'll take him. You take the students."

"All of em?!" Patches seemed shocked. "But there's only one of me!"

"You'll be fine. Just jump around from student to student. It's not that hard."

"Oh...Okay!"

After discussing the plan, we leaped into action. I quickly grabbed the teacher by his head and slurped up any memories of the lesson. He gasped, then looked around in confusion.

"Where am I?" He asked. I smiled proudly at my success, regardless of how small it was. I felt powerful nonetheless. Patches bit down on one of the kids' heads, causing him to get up and start to obnoxiously sing. As he hopped from person to person, they each began to either sing or use school supplies as instruments. The ruckus was awful...but hilarious to watch. The teacher desperately tried to regain control, even if he had no idea what he was doing in the room. Patches made eye contact with me and smiled widely.

"Did I do good? Did I?" He asked, eyes sparkling with anticipation. I nodded.

"Oh, yeah. This...is amazing." Patches happily cheered, before looking around for another classroom. I watched him spot a sad, disappointed looking child walk down the hall. Curious, he followed him. Not wanting to leave my brother behind, I followed as well. Patches followed the boy for a while, occasionally listening to his seemingly unintelligible mumbles. Then, he bit his head. It wasn't as forceful as before though. It was soft, restrained as if he wanted to hold his powers back. Instead of going completely ballistic like the class did, the kid just perked up and smiled. He then gladly skipped down the hall. "The heck were you doing?" I asked as he watched the kid walk away.

"I think he was sad 'cause he got in trouble. So I made him feel better by using my power!" He then looked at me. "I just wanted to do somethin' nice."

"Good for you. Now let's move on." I said flatly. There was a pause from Patches, and he looked a little shocked, only to cheer up.

"Okay, big brother!" he cried. We then moved on. As we traveled, the bell suddenly rang, and kids started to get out of class and leave.

"Darn. Ah, well. There are other places. Hmm..." I stared at the heads and picked one of a blonde haired girl. "Follow her!" Obediently, Patches followed. The girl went all the way to Blossom Heights and entered one of the houses. As we entered, Patches tugged on my bow.

"Is this okay? Why're we here?"

"Why not? Isn't a family a good test?"

"Hmm...maybe..." Patches pondered. While he thought, I waited for the right opportunity to strike, just to see what would happen. The girl started to talk to her mother, who soon asked.

"What kind of homework do you have?" Bingo. I struck the girl in the head and gulped up her homework memories. The only words she could muster up now were,

"I don't remember." The mother looked a little annoyed, but nothing too bad.

"Any tests?" She asked. I struck, draining her memory again.

"I dunno." she then responded. The mother's face got a little red.

"Can you even remember a thing today?!" She cried. Once more, I struck, trying to hold back laughter as Mrs. Tomato Face grew even redder.

"Wh-Who are you?" The teen asked. The mother cried out in frustration, and I burst out laughing. This was fun. Really fun. Patches didn't share my happiness, however, and my laughter faded as he gave me a concerned look.

"Big brother, what's gotten into you?" I blinked, then snickered.

"I dunno," I said, mocking the teen. Patches only stared.

"I thought we weren't going to be bad...you...said we weren't gonna be—"

"Aw, come on! This is fun! Why don't you have fun? Aren't you all about fun?" Patches stayed silent, only to start to tear up.

"But...this is getting mean...! This isn't fun...!"

"I thought you thought these powers were cool! What happened?" Patches sniffled.

"Because you weren't harming anybody. I..." he gulped a lump in his throat. "I don't wanna do this anymore...I wanna go home..." I scowled.

"Why? Are you jealous? Is that it?" I laughed. "Figures. Who needs to act stupid anyway? Everyone needs to forget things. No one needs a fool." Patches's lip started to quiver. "So go home. Go on." Patches started to sniffle more, then burst into tears before running away. I huffed. He didn't understand. If he knew what it was like to have so much power...he'd act the same way. Who else wouldn't wanna manipulate some folks with a new power? Power is fun. I grew bored with the house at this point and decided to go to a place with the most commotion of all of the buildings. The train station.

Dashing away to Downtown, I manage to make it to the station at rush hour. After approaching a small group that was talking in the corner, I made them each forget a little piece of their conversation, causing them to argue over details that they "remembered". I zipped over to a man and made him forget his train. I spread the chaos farther and farther, making people forget things repeatedly, or just once to send them into a frenzy. Once I was through, everyone was confused and dizzy and flabbergasted like no tomorrow. It was beautiful, and I was feeling more powerful and prideful by the second. Giving my work time to sort itself out, I left the station, stomach full of memories. I sat myself down on the stairs and sighed. This was a great day...I looked at myself in the reflective stairs and smiled. I couldn't wait to tell Patche—

...Patches...

My smile faded, and I felt my heart ache. I remembered what I had done to him only an hour before. How he looked. What he said.

"Big brother, what's gotten into you?" his voice echoed. My mind started to whirl with thoughts.

What is wrong with me? What have I done? I don't deserve power. Not after this. He hates me. He hates me, doesn't he? What have I done? What have I done?

Tears were streaming down my face and flowing down the stairs. What would I do now? I couldn't go home. What would Patches say? He wouldn't forgive me. What I did before looked sane compared to this.

No. I had to go home. I had to be a man. I couldn't be a baby and just hide forever. No. No! I'd go home, and apologize!

Heart aching and tears dripping, I swallowed my ego and took the float of shame home. I watched as my tears hit the sidewalks, only to quickly evaporate. I was so occupied with my own tears, that I bumped into the door of Karrie's house once I reached it. I looked up, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and phased through the door.

I wandered throughout the house and eventually made it to our room. As soon as I entered, I could hear the heartbroken cries of my poor brother. I gulped, easing myself towards the closet and carefully opening the door. Tears were pouring from Patches's eyes, and he was sobbing uncontrollably into the wall.

"Patches?" Upon hearing my voice, he turned around.

"*sniffle*...You...you're here?" His lip quivered. "I thought you were out there, doing bad things..." I nodded.

"I was, but...I decided to come home. I...maybe...maybe missed you just a little bit." Patches's eyes sparkled.

"Really?" he asked. "...Are you staying?"

"Of course I am. And just for you, I'll see if I can make people happy like you do tomorrow." Patches took a second to process everything, before pouncing on top of me.

"Big brother, you're back~! You're really back~!" He nuzzled me uncontrollably while I stroked him with an eyestalk.

"Glad to have you back too, Patches." I blinked the last of my tears away, before trying to talk to the ecstatic Patches as he crushed me. "How about we go to Cafe Shanista, just for you? I've already eaten plenty..." I flushed, embarrassed at my memory eating in hindsight. Patches stopped snuggling me and slid off.

"Mm-mm." he propped himself against the wall, sighed, and closed his eyes. "Crying makes me tired. I wanna sleep." I sighed and gave him a small pat between his eyestalks.

"Only you, Patches. Only you." I paused, before breathing in deeply. "Love you." Patches's eyes snapped open, and he stared at me intently. I braced, and sure enough, he once again snuggled me tightly.

"Love you too~!" he cooed, before immediately falling asleep. I pet him gently once more, eventually cuddling up to his soft warmth. I was so glad to be home...

"Keep going, big brother!" Patches called out from behind me, shoving cake in his face. "You've got this!" His positivity was not helping my nausea. I had consumed ten negative memories too many and I'd never felt so much pain in my life. I scanned each of the people's faces, looking for one last sad person to end this torture.

Thankfully, a man entered, looking just as sad as the previous people I had spotted. Immediately I struck, getting a grip on his head and tasting around for a sad memory. I'd recognize it right when I tasted it. Wait for it...wait for it...there it was! The guy was thinking about a past event, one that happened a long time ago and was quite a painful memory from what I could taste. It was the worst one that I had tasted, and I could just barely stomach it. I released as soon as I swallowed and thank goodness the guy was happier. "*Urp...* Can I stop now?" I couldn't stop gagging, and I thought I was going to die. Patches frowned, and brought me a jug from the counter to make me feel better.

"Of course, big brother." I took a couple sips, and my stomach simmered down a little. "You made people happy today, and that's worth a break! You did it, big brother, and I'm proud of you!"

"Yaaaay..." I collapsed, absolutely relieved.

"Rest your tummy, big brother." He gave me a warm smile and laid down next to me. "I'm gonna rest mine too~!" I gently placed myself down, leaving the jug on the table. I looked at Patches, who was completely covered in sprinkles and icing. I could tell by the color that he must've had a taste for chocolate that day. I would've told him off for it and forced him to wash up, but what's the point? He's Patches; he's gonna do whatever makes him happy.

And as long as he's happy, I guess I'll be happy too.


End file.
